Wednesday, July 25, 2012

How to buy and raise baby mantis

I am writing this so you can learn from my mistakes.

1. If you buy mantis egg cases from Ebay, tell the seller to put them in a box and not directly in the envelope. I have received them in an envelope and more than half were dead, because they hatched during transportation and they got smashed.

2. Be very careful where you place the terrarium. If you let it in a sunny place, the mantis babies will die. Only spray a little of water, they are very fragile and too much water will kill them.

3. Make sure the terrarium is well ventilated, otherwise the mold will invade it, especially if it has soil.

4. Give them food and water once every two days. The best food when they are little are aphids, then when they get bigger, flies are a good meal. Keep in mind they are predators, so they like to catch the food alive.

5. Before a mantis reaches adulthood, it has to molt 6 times. Sometimes they get stuck and you have to help them. If a couple of hours passed and they are still trapped in the old exoskeleton, you have to help them. Very gently!

6. Try to manipulate inside the terrarium as rare as possible. They are so delicate, even a touch could kill them.